New York, July 12, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NEW YORK, July 12, 2016 – Progyny, a leading digital healthcare company, today announced a new study that will further aid embryo screening with the use of Progyny’s Eeva™ (early embryo viability assessment) Test for in vitro fertilization (IVF) patients. The study was presented at the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology’s (ESHRE) annual conference in Helsinki, Finland. The study focused on identifying specific markers of chromosomally normal blastocysts to determine which chromosomally normal embryos implanted and led to a live birth versus similar embryos that did not lead to a live birth. These markers were identified using the Eeva Test, the only FDA cleared, non-invasive early embryo screening tool. This analysis lays a foundation to further assist embryologists with determining a patient’s embryo transfer order.
The study was designed to further enhance the performance of current embryo screening techniques to better understand which chromosomally normal embryos are likely to lead to a live birth. The study analyzed 55 patients with 81 transferred euploid blastocysts from fresh and frozen cycles from 2012 to 2013. Out of the 81 blastocysts transferred, 43 led to a live birth. Eeva’s Time Lapse System automatically processed embryo markers looking at dynamic blastocyst development including the number, frequency, timing and rate of collapses during embryo culture.
“This study will help us understand why some chromosomally normal embryos implant and others don't,” said Dr. Gary Harton, Senior Vice President of Clinical Affairs at Progyny. “Understanding this dynamic may allow us to incrementally increase pregnancy rates and time to pregnancy if we can further delineate chromosomally normal embryos with a higher implantation potential than others.”
The study determined that euploid blastocysts with more frequent and longer blastocyst collapse events have a lower live birth rate when compared to similar embryos that implanted and led to a live birth. This dynamic blastocyst marker, termed High Collapse Index by the authors, may compromise embryo viability or may be a new mark of embryo quality.
According to Dr. Harton, “The results of this study may ultimately give us more insight when faced with selecting a single embryo for transfer among multiple euploid embryos, further improving pregnancy rates, reducing miscarriage rates and reducing the odds of multiples.”
Progyny continues to develop and search for new features and methods that could aid in non-invasive embryo assessment in order to improve IVF outcomes. This study discusses just one of the many features and methods currently under investigation for future development and releases of Eeva software. However, this feature has not been cleared by the U.S. FDA for use on embryos at this time.
For more information visit, www.Progyny.com and for more information on the study visit www.ClinicalTrials.gov.
About Progyny:
Progyny is a leading digital healthcare company combining data, science and technology to provide the first end-to-end, proactive fertility solution for both large, self-insured employers and today’s informed consumer. Progyny’s SMART™ Cycle plan design comprises best-in-class research and clinical solutions, including its proprietary Eeva™ technology, to improve outcomes, shorten time to pregnancy and reduce total fertility-related costs. Progyny is privately held and is headquartered in New York, NY, with operations in San Francisco and Menlo Park, CA. Please visit www.progyny.com.
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